This week in health and medicine news from The Lancet USA, the Trump Administration cancels ACA ad buys in the final days of the 2017 enrollment period, a cluster of unusual amnesia and opioid abuse cases in Massachusetts has researchers puzzled, and a machine-learning algorithm produces results on a level with board certified physicians.

Trump Administration Cancels ACA Ads Days Before Enrollment Deadline

The incoming Trump Administration has canceled $5 million worth of television advertising previously purchased and paid for by the Obama Administration in the days leading up to the 2017 ACA marketplace enrollment deadline of January 31. A Department of Health and Human Services representative said the decision was made to “look for efficiencies.” The decision comes at a crucial time for ACA enrollment, as the system has seen major surges of people enrolling at the last minute. If they are unable to enroll, they will be hit with a tax penalty. (New York Times)

Cluster of Amnesia Cases in Massachusetts Possibly Linked to Opioid

Researchers for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health are looking into a series of unusual amnesia cases that seem to be associated with opioid use, although the connection is unclear. Beginning with four patients who were seen between 2012 and 2015, researchers noticed that they all had unusual damage to two small structures in their hippocampus, resulting in anterograde amnesia – and all a history of opioid abuse. Researchers looked back through similar cases, ultimately identifying fourteen individuals who shared similar characteristics. Only one of the additional cases did not have history of opioid abuse. Researchers are unclear on what the link is between the symmetrical damage to the hippocampus and opioid abuse is. (CNN)

AI as Good as Dermatologists in Recognizing Potential Skin Cancer

A machine-learning algorithm that checks images of skin lessions performs as well as dermatologists in recognizing potential cancers, according to a new report. Researchers at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory created the program, which was tested against over twenty board certified dermatologists. According to the researchers, the implications of the new technique could be profound. With early detection of skin cancer essential to survival, they envision a smartphone application which would allow for an immediate diagnosis if a skin lesion is worrisome or not. (CNet)

Human-Animal Hybrids Hold Hope for Organ Transplant, Ethical Concerns

Researchers at Kinki University in Nara, Japan, have reported developing embryos that are chimeras, incorporating human stem cells into fetal pig embryos with the hopes of generating human-transplantable organs. The need for transplantable organs is real, with 22 people in the US dying every day while waiting for an organ transplant. The concerns of ethicists, however, are real as well. While the human cells developed in the pig embryos so far is a tiny percentage of their total cells, concerns exist that profound changes in the pigs might be introduced, including concerns about brain development and cognition. Further research will focus on concentrating the human stem cells in specific organs. (LA Times)

Concerns Over Trump Prompt Surge of IUD Requests

Expressing concern about the future of contraceptive access under the Trump Administration, requests for intrauterine devices (IUD) have surged sense the election of Donald Trump, according to a report commissioned by Vox. According to a survey of 2,500 doctors who provide IUDs across the country, requests for the contraceptive device were up sharply over the same period in 2015. The rate was even more sharply pronounced in areas carried by Hillary Clinton in the election. Contraceptives are covered as a basic feature in insurance plans thanks to the Affordable Care Act, and Republican promises to repeal the health insurance program are leaving many looking for a longer term birth control option, such as an IUD, which can last up to ten years. (Vox)

New Jersey to Provide New Parents with a “Baby Box”

Following a longstanding policy in Finnland, new and expectant parents in New Jersey can now register to receive a “baby box,” a sturdy cardboard box filled with essential baby needs such as diapers, wipes and more. The box also contains a mattress and can double as a baby bed for newborns. To receive the box, parents have to register online and complete a course of instructional videos on how to care for a newborn, including breastfeeding and safe sleeping practices. New Jersey has partnered with a company that manufactures the boxes, The Baby Box Company, to provide the baby kits. (Huffington Post)